The Art of the Body

The Art of the Body was published by Dialogue Books (Little Brown) in the UK on 5th September 2019. The paperback was released on 25th June 2020. An audiobook version of the novel was released in November 2022.

Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award 2020

Longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2020

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Janet is caught between care work and caring. Her life revolves around Sean, a talented art student, living and working with cerebral palsy. Both Janet and Sean are new to London, living at a distance from their families. Both are finding a means of escape through pushing their bodies to new limits.

When Sean is faced with an unexpected and deeply personal tragedy, Janet has to let her guard down and discover what she's prepared to fight for.

The Art of the Body is a novel about dignity, intimacy, faith and sacrifice, unafraid to explore uncommon bodies in unusual ways.

Select media coverage

Raw and powerful - IMAGE

Finely written and thoughtfully devised, this is also a disquieting and unsettling read about the balance of power, cruelty and compassion in the relationship between a carer and their charge - The Guardian

The Art of the Body offers the reader a multi-layered exploration of the able and disabled body. Through the experiences of Janet, who shares with us her enthusiasm and disappointment, love and loss, care for others and self-loathing, we discover the possibilities a disabled body offers, which is far from incomplete or needing to be fixed. Allison’s talent transforms it all into a tale worth reading - The Northern Review

Barney Norris, Somerset Maugham Judge, says: ‘This is a deft and harrowing novel telling a powerful and urgent story about the limits of compassion and care by a novelist of immense promise.'

Emma Jayne Unsworth, author of Animals and Adults, says: ‘Brutal, tender, philosophical, visceral, complex, and so well written. A deft exploration of two entwined lives that is deeply moving without ever being sentimental. The character of Janet is incredible. I have never encountered anyone like her, and yet she was utterly believable. This is one of those books that sneaks under your skin and expands you. Sheer brilliance.’

Awards coverage in the Evening Standard

Awards coverage in The Bookseller